Description

These Nutella Stuffed Cookies are a decadent treat featuring a soft cookie dough exterior with a gooey, melty Nutella center. The cookies are studded with dark chocolate chips for extra chocolatey goodness and are perfectly golden-baked to deliver a delightful balance of textures and rich flavors. This recipe involves chilling the dough and freezing the Nutella discs to achieve the ideal stuffing consistency, making them irresistible for any chocolate lover.

Ingredients

Scale

Nutella Filling

10 tbsp Nutella (or other chocolate-nut spread)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or chopped 70% dark chocolate)

Cookie Dough

1 1/3 cups plain flour / all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda)
1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
120g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm / 1/2″ cubes, fridge cold
2/3 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp honey (or corn syrup)
1 large egg (55g / 2 oz), at room temperature

Instructions

Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside to ensure even distribution.
Barely Melt Butter: Microwave the butter in a heatproof bowl for 30 seconds on high. Stir with a rubber spatula to finish melting so the butter becomes milky, not clear, to retain texture for the dough.
Create Wet Mixture: Add brown sugar, vanilla extract, and honey to the melted butter, stirring until well combined. Incorporate the egg and mix until the mixture looks smooth and caramel-like.
Combine and Chill Dough: Stir the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined, resulting in a slightly warm and soft dough. Cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours to firm it for shaping.
Prepare Frozen Nutella Discs: Line a small tray with baking paper. Dollop Nutella onto the tray and spread into rounds approximately 8mm (1/3″) thick. Freeze these discs for 1 hour until firm enough to handle.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Trays: Set the oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C (320°F) if fan-forced. Lightly grease two baking trays and line with parchment paper.
Shape Dough and Cut: Remove dough from fridge, shape it into an 18cm (7″) log. Cut into 10 equal pieces for individual cookies.
Stuff Cookies: Flatten each dough piece, place a frozen Nutella disc in the center, then fold and seal the dough around the Nutella completely. Flip so the smooth side is facing up. Shape into approximately 1.5cm (3/5″) thick rounds and press dark chocolate chips onto the surface and sides. Arrange 5 cookies per tray, about 8cm (3″) apart to allow spreading.
Bake: Bake both trays simultaneously for 12-13 minutes until cookie edges are golden and centers are pale golden but set, not raw or melted.
Cool and Serve: Let cookies cool on the trays for 10 minutes to finish cooking and set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 5 more minutes before enjoying the melty Nutella surprise inside.

Notes

Note 1: Baking soda helps provide a slight rise and tender texture.
Note 2: Brown sugar adds moisture and a deeper caramel flavor.
Note 3: Honey or corn syrup keeps the cookies chewy and adds sweetness.
Note 4: Using a room temperature egg helps blend the dough smoothly.
Note 5: Barely melting the butter instead of fully melting it ensures the dough is not greasy and retains a nice texture.
Note 6: Leaving enough space between cookies allows them to spread properly without merging during baking.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Nutella cookies, stuffed cookies, chocolate chip cookies, melty Nutella, homemade cookies, dessert, sweet treats